The Tolly Group Verifies the Force10 TeraScale E-Series Delivers Superior Resiliency and Failover Characteristics

Business Wire, Nov 9, 2004

MILPITAS, Calif. -- The Force10 TeraScale E-Series switch/routers deliver the superior resiliency, scalability and security capabilities required in complex mission critical networks, according to independent testing results from The Tolly Group. During the testing, the Force10 TeraScale E1200, which leads the industry in Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet densities, consistently demonstrated that it is ideally suited for high performance networks.

"Architects of enterprise and service provider networks realize that resiliency, scalability, line-rate performance and full Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionality are essential for today's most demanding network applications," said Kevin Tolly, President/CEO of The Tolly Group. "The Force10 TeraScale E1200 performs exceptionally well in each of these areas, providing network operators with a comprehensive switching and routing solution."

The Force10 TeraScale E1200 demonstrated its best-in-class resiliency features during switch fabric and route processor module failovers. In testing, the TeraScale E1200 demonstrated 100 percent line-rate throughput across 56 Ten Gigabit Ethernet ports during failover. These Tolly Group tests confirm that, in the event of a failure or an upgrade, the TeraScale E1200 can continue to process more than one Terabit of traffic with zero packet loss. Additionally, The Tolly Group verified that, in the event of a failover, the TeraScale E1200 continues to forward full line-rate Layer 2 and Layer 3 traffic with zero packet loss.

The Tolly Group tests also confirm that the Force10 TeraScale E1200 has highly scalable Layer 2 and Layer 3 implementations. Leveraging a distributed architecture that provides protected memory and processing power for switching, routing and management functionality, the TeraScale E1200 delivers predictable performance in both switching and routing environments. While running Layer 3 protocols, the Force10 TeraScale E1200 can communicate with over 1,500 peers and six million paths. For Layer 2 protocols, the TeraScale E1200 can communicate with more than 500 peers.

The unique distributed architecture of the TeraScale E-Series also protects it against denial of service (DoS) attacks. During testing, The Tolly Group verified that the TeraScale E-Series withstands simultaneous DoS attacks without dropping a single packet. Additionally, the TeraScale E-Series did not drop a single Telnet session, confirming that it delivers the resiliency high performance networks require.

"High performance environments require not just a high density solution that can reduce the number of components in the network but also require a solution that is reliable, scalable and protects the network," said Andrew Feldman, vice president of marketing at Force10 Networks. "The Force10 TeraScale E-Series delivers the right combination of these features to ensure the predictability that high performance networks require."

In earlier testing with The Tolly Group, the Force10 TeraScale E1200 achieved 100 percent line-rate throughput across 672 Gigabit and 56 Ten Gigabit Ethernet ports. Based on these results, The Tolly Group named the TeraScale E1200 the "First" Terabit Ethernet switch/router. The TeraScale E-Series also processed more than one million ACLs with no performance degradation and demonstrated line-rate IPv6 forwarding at Gigabit and 10 Gigabit rates.

The complete reports are available at www.force10networks.com/products.> The Force10 TeraScale E-Series supports an unprecedented 672 line-rate, non-blocking Gigabit and 56 line-rate, non-blocking 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports in a single chassis. And with the capacity to process one billion packets per second, the highest in the industry, the Force10 TeraScale E1200 can process more traffic in a single system, simplifying network topologies. Fewer systems require less power, cooling, space, engineering support and cabling, reducing operational costs. Additionally, fewer systems reduce capital expenditures and simplify management.

About The Tolly Group

The Tolly Group, an independent testing and strategic consulting organization based in Boca Raton, Fla., offers a full range of services designed to furnish both the vendor and end-user communities with authoritative and unbiased information. Additionally, The Tolly Group is recognized worldwide for its expertise in assessing leading-edge technologies. For more information on The Tolly Group's services, visit its Web site at http://www.tolly.com, e-mail info@tolly.com, call 561-391-5610, or fax 561-391-5810.

About Force10 Networks

Force10 Networks is the pioneer in high performance switching and routing. Based on a revolutionary system architecture that delivers best-in-class resiliency and massive scalability, Force10's TeraScale E-Series switch/routers ensure predictable application performance, increase network availability, and reduce operating costs. Today, many of the world's largest Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks depend on Force10 Networks. For additional information, please visit the company's website at www.force10networks.com.